Arlen Abdrashev won the 2000+ knockout of the ChessPunks Champs 2023, defeating NM Alexander Balkum in a final playoff.

Tushar Anand went undefeated in every round to win the 1700-1999 division. Ivan Zhuk swept all of his matches to win the 1300-1699 section, making comebacks in both his games vs. Kristan Klimczak in the final.

Mark Manucharyan clinched the under-1300 division by winning every game except one, which was a brilliancy by his opponent, Oladipupo Lekan.

After the Qualifier stage on September 17-18, eight players from each section emerged at the top out of hundreds. Over the next month, to prepare for the championship, each of the competitiors received weekly one-on-one training sessions from one of the top-notch coaches below:

These sessions proved to be rewarding for the teachers and students alike. Kingcoach of the winner of the Game of the Day, Lekanrevealed the unusual yet inspiring circumstances for his last lesson with one of his proteges.

Additionally, several players themselves have shared about their learning experiences.

On Sunday, the 32 competitors had the chance to show their improvement in the Knockout stage of the ChessPunks Champs.

Abdrashev went toe-to-toe with Anastasios Koukas in a double-overtime quarterfinals match. Ultimately, the Kazakh competitor gained the upper hand with tactical play in a rook ending in the last blitz playoff game.

Abdrashev swept Mr Dodgy in the semifinals and faced Balkum in the final, where every game came down to bishops of opposite colors. After a deadlocked initial two duels, Abdrashev swindled a victory from a position that seemed to be leading to a draw. In the time scramble, Abdrashev caught Balkum in a premove and snuck one of his pawns by its counterpart to create a passer, which he promoted in the end.

Abdrashev won a $1,000 stipend for his chess improvement and $1,000 for premium Chessable courses of his choice.

Many of the competitors posted about their tournament experiences.

Bracket - 2000+

In the quarterfinals, Anand's passed pawns were the stars in both his games vs. Orla Dorman, as he sealed the match with a pawn breakthrough.

Anand won his semifinals games vs. Harel Davidson with a similar consistency, outpacing his opponent's attack in both. After a level first game in the final, Anand capitalized on Michael Porcelli's weakened structure by snatching an extra pawn in the knight vs. bishop ending.

Anand earned a $1,000 chess training stipend and $1,000 for Chessable courses.

Adding onto his 9-0 in the qualifier, Zhuk won all six of his games in the knockout, starting with an exchange sacrifice that allowed him to rip apart Abhishek G.'s structure in the quarterfinals.

The Polish competitor sealed victory in the semifinal with stellar time management, which allowed him to turn an inferior ending into a winning one vs. Shareef Shaiden.

In the final vs. Kristan Klimczak, Zhuk made a comeback to win a pawn-down rook ending in the first game. In the second, Klimczak conjured a dangerous king attack with a bishop sacrifice, but Zhuk escaped alive to the endgame by forcing a queen trade. With the reduced material, Zhuk generated winning chances by creating a passer.

Zhuk took home a $1,000 learning stipend and $1,000 for premium Chessable courses.

Bracket - 1300-1699

Manucharyan won almost every game in the knockout with one notable exception. In the quarterfinal, in a must-win position after losing the first game, Oladipupo Lekan spawned a menacing king attack that continued to rage even after the queens were traded. Lekan's brilliant victory featured a scintillating rook sacrifice:

Here is GM Daniel King discussing the game above:

Manucharyan achieved 2-0 sweeps of Faisal Madi in the semifinals and Rajbir Chakraborty in the final. In game one of the final, Manucharyan's impending attack prompted an inaccurate bishop sacrifice by his opponent.

Manucharyan won a $1,000 chess stipend and $1,000 in Chessable courses.

One quarterfinalist, Charlotte Ruddy, went out with a bang in her match vs. Emery Reusch.

Omar Mills, another quarterfinalist, focused on turning his losses into positive learning experiences.

Other competitors simply focused on enjoying the ride.

Bracket - 0-1299

Knockout - Winners

The ChessPunks Champs is a knockout tournament for the ChessPunks community of adult improvers. The event's qualifiers occurred on September 16-17 at 12 p.m. ET/18:00 CEST, while the main event happens on October 22 at 1 p.m. ET/19:00 CEST. The 32 qualifying players will receive a year of Chessable PRO and Chess.com diamond memberships and compete for additional opportunities to grow their chess knowledge.

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